Course summary

The MSc in Advanced Practice is aimed at all health and social care staff who are looking to develop their knowledge and skills as advanced practitioners.

Over the past decade, the emergence of competencies, conceptual frameworks and operational tools, together with government and educational drivers, has firmly placed the notion of advanced practice and advanced level nursing as a core development area in the practice workplace.

Why choose this course?

This Master's course is likely to appeal to a wide range of professionals including:

community matrons

caseload managers

social work team leaders

managers from prison and probation service

team leaders working in sexual health and substance abuse

midwives

senior or consultant nurses (or those hoping to move into that role)

independent practitioners.

Role Development 2019 delivery

Three face to face study days:

Weds 25 September 2019

Thurs 10 October 2019

Weds 13 Nov 2019

Three electronic study days each to be taken between the face to face study days, at a time to suit the student. These are supported with on-line webinars on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Assignment submission

11 December 2019

Pathways

You will have the choice to follow a generic or a specialist pathway within your study. At present, we offer specialist pathways in:

Leadership

Midwifery

Healthcare Education

Substance Misuse

Infection control (only available to those currently working as Infection Prevention and Control Practitioners).

Your specialist pathway will be reflected on your final degree award and will appear in brackets. To qualify for a particular specialist pathway, the modules you take in your second year, as well as your dissertation, must be focused on your specialist area. For example, if you wanted to receive an MSc Advanced Practice (Infection Control) your year two modules (which must add up to 60 credits at level 7) and your dissertation must be on infection control.

More detail on what module choices are available for each of our awards is available under the course detail tab.

Why choose the University of West London?

Our teaching staff are highly committed, passionate, subject specialists with clinical currency who will be there to support you during your course.

During the course, you will have a personal tutor who will guide and advise you throughout your academic life, and you will receive regular, personalised feedback on your progress in theory and practice, helping you to succeed.

You will also benefit from a fantastic range of high-tech, innovative teaching resources and have access to the University's mentoring service, making your learning fun and engaging.

Tutor Information

This course is run by the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare to provide you with both the high-quality teaching and the personal attention you need to make the most of your University education.

You will learn from highly skilled staff, many of whom conduct cutting-edge research in their specialist areas, ensuring that your period of study is both challenging and rewarding.

The College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare teaching staff includes:

Course Leader – Catherine Lynch (pictured below right with students graduating) has been running the MSc Advanced Practice for 10 years has received commendations and awards for her use of technology to deliver the electronic elements (50%) of the first year of the course.

Senior Lecturer - Mental Health Reuben Pearce who has worked within the NHS since 1995 and continues to maintain a strong presence in practice through involvement in various initiatives with NHS Trust partners.

Professor of Evidence-based Healthcare Professor Heather Loveday a peer reviewer for a number of journals including the Journal of Hospital Infection and International Journal of Nursing Practice.

Career and study progression

Completing the Masters programme will give you the skills and confidence to stand out in the graduate market. Since the introduction of the Graduate Curriculum in Nursing in 2010, a Masters degree will be the next stepping stone for career development for current cohorts of student nurses, so will be an advantage to those nurses currently looking to get ahead and establish their career pathways.

Opportunities for further study include progression to our MPhil programme, and onwards to a Professional Doctorate or PhD.

Career Progression

Completing the Masters programme will give you the skills and confidence to stand out in the graduate market. Since the introduction of the Graduate Curriculum in Nursing in 2010, a Masters degree will be the next stepping stone for career development for current cohorts of student nurses, so will be an advantage to those nurses currently looking to get ahead and establish their career pathways.

Opportunities for further study include progression to our MPhil programme, and onwards to a Professional Doctorate or PhD.

Course detail

Course structureMost students will take the Master's course over three years, taking 60 credits in each year. Once accepted on to the course, you will be assisted by the course leader to plot your route. You will be supported throughout your studies at the University of West London.

Some students (for example, students on the Infection Control pathway) will take the year two (optional modules) in their first year, and then take Role Development and Becoming an Advanced Practitioner second.The only course pre-requisite is the need to have successfully complete Research Methods in year three.The typical pathway for students who take the Masters course in the traditional way starts with Year one, where students take Role Development between September and December and Becoming an Advanced Practitioner between January and July.Year one modulesYou will study two modules in year one:

Dissertation module is worth 40 credits. It will start in January and should be completed by August.

Entry requirements

Applicants need:
- a first degree (or equivalent professional qualification) in a health or social care related subject (for example a nursing / physiotherapy/social work degree)
- to be working as a health and social care professional (usually at least two years full-time or equivalent), with a significant professional experience for advancing practice.

If applicants do not have a first degree but possess substantial work experience, they are still invited to apply. In these cases, applicants will be asked to complete a questionnaire which maps practice experience to the learning outcomes for a Level 6 degree and also to present an essay/report to demonstrate their potential for studying at masters level.

International students need to meet our English language requirement at IELTS 6.5 or above, and a minimum of 5.5 for each of the 4 individual components (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening).

Please note fees are paid for each year of study unless otherwise stated. You will be required to re-enrol and pay fees at the beginning of each academic year. Fees may be subject to government regulations on fee increases. Future inflationary increases will be applied to each subsequent year of the course, subject to government regulations on fee increases.

How to apply

Recruitment to year one of the course opens in February

You are invited to submit your on-line application form for review by the Course Leader, Catherine Lynch.

If you meet our entry criteria, you will be invited to meet with the Course Leader to discuss your application and explore your options on the course.

You are advised to save a date for interview. You will be contacted with an invite to select your preferred date and time from a doodle poll after the Easter break. The interviews will be held at:

Successful students will be notified shortly after this meeting and recruitment is generally completed by the middle of August.

Successful candidates will receive their Pre-course Electronic Induction Package at the end of August and are expected to complete this and the activities within in preparation for starting the course at the end of September.

Applications received after the August deadline will be still be considered if places are available.

During the course

Teaching staff

What our students say

Jan Glaze (Practice Nurse)

“I have successfully completed the first year of the MSc in Advanced Practice and intend to continue the course. I have been impressed with the planning of the modules I have undertaken, content has been particularly relevant to working in the current and future NHS.

The Module leader and teaching team obviously work hard to keep abreast of current issues, and seem well equipped to enable development in a wide spectrum of skill sets. I have no doubt that the team possess the skills needed to help produce confident, innovative nurses, needed to lead the NHS through current changes.

The course, so far, has helped enable me to start taking an active role in commissioning services for Primary Care, I have invited myself into meetings and entered into negotiations with senior clinicians and decision makers and intend to seek better Nurse representation in my local Governing Board. I would not have been able to attempt this before starting the course, not through lack of confidence but through lack of knowledge and direction.”

Gergana Nikolova, MSc in Advanced Practice

I'd say my university experience has been stressful, amazing and challenging.

I enjoyed studying autonomy and the support from lecturers and the library was brilliant. I now want to do a doctoral degree and hopefully have a research career.

Janet Bockarie

This course has helped my networking skills and my organisational and political astuteness.

Leanne Grace, Lead nurse RBH

The course has helped me to improve my facilitation skills and ability to network and work outside my own area of influence. Improves my negation skills.

Eden Gerbu

It helped me to become innovative, I enjoyed the interactions. I never thought I’d lead and manage a project before this course. It made me realise that developing leadership ability is fundamental to my role.

Emily Allterton, Lead for clinical learning environment FHFT

This module has opened doors and helped me to raise my profile. I feel the tools I have learned to use and the knowledge and skills I have gained have made me more credible.

Jobs and placements

As year one features two 'Work based' modules, and year two is likely to need you to have direct contact with clients, you will need to be in employment for at least the first two years of the course.

“The MSc Advancing Practice is a fantastic course and enabled our staff in acute care gain the academic and professional accreditation as an advanced practitioner. Our staff are happy that they achieved the skills and competencies needed to look after our patients with complex needs.”

Edwin Dela Cruz, Head of Faculty of Nursing, Learning & Development Department, West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust